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A Short Story


You ever feel depressed suddenly? And you know it is most likely due to stress or anxiety and you just don’t want to do anything but think about the problems you face or long list of things you have to accomplish in a short period of time? I’m sure most people run into this feeling at some point during their lives. I know I have. I remember a customer who came into the supplement store I worked at who was running into this quite often one year. This person was going through a lot in their life at that time. They told me they were feeling down in the dumps and even though they knew they had a lot to do, they didn’t have the motivation to begin those tasks. They knew this wasn’t how they usually felt and they didn’t like feeling this way. 
Right away, I knew what was going on. I confirmed with them that they were feeling extremely stressed and started feeling more depressed as of late and recommended they start taking an amino acid called 5-HTP. It is a form of L-Tryptophan. L-Tryptophan is the amino acid that usually makes a person sleepy. 5-HTP on the other hand acts as a natural SSRI which helps the body keep serotonin flowing in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and one of the body’s happy chemicals. If you are deficient in serotonin, the most common symptom is depression and anxiety. If you increase the amount of serotonin in the brain after being deficient, you’ll start to feel happier again.


I also recommended this person start taking a probiotic for two reasons. One, probiotics are good bacteria that assist in overall health and two, your gut produces about 90% of the body’s serotonin. Probiotics are housed in the large intestine. If you keep your gut healthy, you keep your mind healthy. I advised that the 5-HTP is best taken on an empty stomach to see the best benefits and the more effective dosing for the probiotic is about 25-50 billion CFUs (Colony Forming Units). This customer decided to purchase about a month’s supply of both.
A little under a month later, I saw my customer from that day again coming in to get more of the supplements I recommended. The big difference was that this customer looked like a bright, shiny new penny. When I went up to them to see how things were going, they showed such a big smile and went on to tell me how they got that spring back in their step within three days of starting that new regimen.


I absolutely love when my recommendations have made such big differences in people’s lives and I get to see the difference first hand. That puts that spring in my step. Some changes we make to our lifestyles don’t always make such a huge difference right away, but when it does, you know it’s something you have to keep up with. 

Thank you for reading my post!

 

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